Letter from the editors

Dear AMSJ Readers,

Welcome to the annual “Summer Reading Issue” of AMSJ. We hope you enjoy this collection of reviews and review essays of exciting new books in American Studies.

We are also pleased to continue our unique tradition of adorning the pages of the “Summer Reading Issue” with playful snapshots of our editorial board members, editors and staff. This year, we invited our board members to break out their selfie sticks and give themselves a gold medal for this year’s theme: the “Summer Reading Issue Summer Olympics Photo Spread.”

Our editorial board members are all champions. They shoulder an Olympian load at AMSJ and each has earned a gold medal. No one expresses these collective Herculean efforts better than John Gennari (page 77.) This work can be immersive, but Deborah Whaley reminds us that she and the rest of our editorial board possess the interdisciplinary training it takes to remain cool under pressure (page 75.). Reading manuscript after manuscript with unflagging attention and high standards requires tireless dedication, such as that demonstrated by Davarian Baldwin (page 78), as he passes last year’s issue along to himself, making it possible for us to carry AMSJ across the finish line four times a year, and ensuring that it is in top form before we pass it on to you. Our editors and editorial staff may also be found posing within these pages, joining in the pictorial performance of team AMSJ.

For many of our readers, summer is a time for preparing the next round of courses, focusing on their own research and writing projects, preparing for the job market, and maybe even making time for some summer sports. As always, AMSJ strives to bring it all together in the Summer Reading Issue. Enjoy.

Sincerely,

Randal M. Jelks and Sherrie Tucker, editors, American Studies